Going into Thursday's racing card, trainer Steve Asmussen needed only two wins to pass Jack Van Berg for the No. 2 spot on the all-time wins list. Naturally, the magic number came at the track where he has reigned for the last decade.

Asmussen, who is gunning for his 12th consecutive Fair Grounds training title, passed Van Berg with 6,418 career wins in the fourth race at the New Orleans track on Thursday. The race, run at six furlongs for $5,000 claimers, was won by 4-year-old gelding Jake Jourdan.

Jake Jourdan, the heavy favorite, took the lead at the quarter pole and won by 5 1/4 lengths under hand urging by leading jockey Rosie Napravnik.

The win came only minutes after Asmussen's horse Cabe won the third race at Oaklawn Park by 1 3/4 lengths.

“It feels very good,” Asmussen told the Fair Grounds by phone. “It’s obviously very significant and it proves we’ve been doing it a while, if nothing else. We’ll hope for a bunch more winners. Racing’s kind of a funny game, you know, and everything will be alright as long as the next one wins.”

Asmussen, a five-time national leading trainer in wins, is currently enjoying a hefty lead in that category for 2013. As of Thursday he had 91 wins to Jamie Ness' 71. Asmussen is also leading at the Fair Grounds as the meet draws to a close, with 39 wins.

Tom Amoss is hot on his heels with 37.

As for the next milestone, that one might take a while. The late Dale Baird has a commanding lead as the all-time wins leader with 9,445.